Comparison
Hevy and Strong are the two best-known gym logs on iPhone, each rated about 4.9 stars by roughly 100,000 US reviewers, and they record a set in much the same way. The real differences sit around the log: what the free plan holds, what Pro costs, and how social each app wants to be.
Hevy is the better pick for most lifters. Its free plan is roomier, with four routines to Strong’s three and three months of progress graphs; its Pro plan costs less on every term; and it adds a web app, a social feed, Strava sync and a program builder. Strong is the better pick if you run a fixed program and want nothing but the log: it has been refined since 2011, it never asks you to follow anyone, and its screens stay plain. Both have Apple Watch apps, both export CSV and both track the same set types, so the choice comes down to whether Hevy’s extras help you or get in your way.
| Feature | Hevy | Strong |
|---|---|---|
| Workouts you can log for free | Yes. Unlimited | Yes. Unlimited |
| Routines on the free plan | Partly. Up to 4 | Partly. Up to 3 |
| Custom exercises on the free plan | Partly. Up to 7 | Yes. Included; no limit listed |
| Progress charts on the free plan | Partly. Graphs for the last 3 months | Partly. Some; all charts need PRO |
| Pro, monthly | $2.99 | $4.99 |
| Pro, yearly | $23.99 | $29.99 |
| Pro, lifetime | $74.99 | Listed at $79.99 and $99.99 |
| Platforms | iPhone, Android and the web | iPhone and Android |
| Apple Watch app | Yes. Logs sets, rest timers and heart rate | Yes. Logs workouts with or without your iPhone |
| Social features | Yes. Feed, followers, compare lifts, leaderboards | Partly. Share workouts and routines |
| Builds a program for you | Yes. Hevy Trainer (Pro) | Not among Strong’s listed features |
| Plate and warm-up calculators | Yes | Partly. With Strong PRO |
| Set types | Warm-up, drop and failure sets, supersets | Warm-up, failure and drop sets, supersets |
| CSV export | Yes | Yes. All data, to Notes or email |
| Works without an account | No. Sign-up with a username and password | Partly. Every user is asked to sign up |
| Users | More than 17 million | More than 3 million |
| On the App Store since | 2019 | 2011 |
Facts checked on against hevy.com/pricing, Hevy’s App Store listing, Strong’s App Store listing and Strong’s help center. Prices are US prices; yours may differ.
Both apps are free to start and sell a single Pro tier. Hevy charges less on every term, and Strong’s App Store page lists two different lifetime prices.
For most people, yes. Hevy’s free plan holds more routines and keeps three months of graphs, its Pro plan is cheaper, and it adds a web app, a social feed and a program builder. Strong is the better choice if you want a plain logbook for a fixed program and no social features at all.
Hevy, on every term. Hevy Pro is $2.99 a month, $23.99 a year or $74.99 once in the US. Strong PRO is $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year, and the App Store lists its lifetime purchase at $79.99 and $99.99. Both apps are free to start, with unlimited workout logging.
Hevy’s, by a little. Both log unlimited workouts. Hevy allows four routines and seven custom exercises and keeps three months of progress graphs; Strong allows three routines and saves the full set of charts, the plate and warm-up calculators and body part measurements for Strong PRO.
Yes, both have full Apple Watch apps. Hevy’s logs sets, starts rest timers and tracks heart rate, and saves the workout when the watch reconnects to your phone. Strong’s logs whole workouts with or without your iPhone nearby. Both also run on Android, and Hevy adds a web app.
Yes, in practice. Hevy needs a sign-up with a username and password, and your workouts sync to its servers. Strong asks every user to create an account by email, Facebook or Sign in with Apple, and says that without one your workouts aren’t backed up to its cloud.
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Weekly sets per muscle on a body map, recovery you can read, drop sets that don’t skew your targets, and double progression set for you.
Logging, templates and history free for good, with no account and no ads, and a one-time option for Pro. Plus what other trackers charge.
Pick a progression rule per exercise and get the next weight and reps for every set, with plateaus and deloads called for you.
Estimate your one-rep max from any set, find the weight for a target RPE, and read the full RPE chart.
Enter a target weight and get the plates for each side of the bar, in kg or lb, with only the plates you have.
Estimate your 1RM from any set with Epley and six other formulas, and get your working weights from 50 to 100%.
Enter your working weight and get warm-up sets that ramp up to it, with the reps and the plates for each side.
A free spreadsheet for Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers, one row per set, plus a printable PDF log.
Score your powerlifting total with DOTS, Wilks and IPF GL points, for men or women, classic or equipped.
What a deload is, how to tell you need one, three ways to run it with sample weeks, and what the research actually shows.
A complete push pull legs routine for three or six days a week, with sets, reps, rest, weekly volume per muscle and a rule for progressing it.
Rest times for building muscle, strength and endurance, by goal and by lift, what the studies found, and how to fit longer rests into a short session.
Weekly sets for building muscle, by experience and by muscle group, how to count compound lifts, and when to add or cut volume.
A complete four-day upper lower routine with sets, reps and rest, a beginner version, weekly volume per muscle and how it compares with other splits.
Arclift is a free iPhone workout tracker with no routine cap and no account, and it imports your Hevy or Strong history in a few minutes.
See what’s free and what Pro costs